Donovan and Bradley Stock Going Up After Top World Cup Performances

Lots of information today about the U.S. roster, the round of eight, and Dynamo U.S. Open cup match tonight.

U.S. Player Performances Sure to Spark Transfer Interest

Every world cup brings the question, which players will do well enough to help their careers? Well now that the U.S. is done at the world cup we can start to assess their performances and what it may mean down the road.

Stock Going Up

Landon Donovan: His world cup performance will only improve a reputation that was already sky high after his loan with Everton at the beginning of the year. The rumors are already trickling out that Everton wants him back and Manchester City are interested (www.soccerbyives.net is where I read it first). If the asking price from MLS is reasonable I think Everton would be the choice. But if MLS tries to cash in on Donovan (who could blame them) the price could be north of $12 million which would price him out of Everton’s budget. Manchester City would be an interesting and potentially volatile option. The MLS really holds the keys here, they set the price and decide when he moves so do not be surprised if he does not move in the summer but I think he gets his move eventually, that is if he wants it.

Michael Bradley: The 22 year old showed his skill in this tournament and has put himself at the front of the line to lead the USMNT into the future. He showed patience and skill on the ball along with the ability to make dangerous runs. Bradley is THE building block for the future.

Clint Dempsey: Dempsey showed a strong work rate and focus that some thought he lacked. For large stretches he was the only player who was a threat to score. He is in the middle of a good deal with Fulham so I do not see him moving unless current Fulham manager Roy Hodgsen is hired at Liverpool. Hodgsen is a big fan of Dempsey and could very well bring him along.

Jozy Altidore: While Altidore looked like a player who had reached his physical limit against Ghana he was very good in the group stage. The 20 year old turned some heads internationally, so much so that Villareal who could be sellers this transfer window may simply keep Altidore and insert him into the forward rotation.

Maurice Edu: If he had more playing time I think you could put Edu in the top performers category. He was a very good option off the bench and was instrumental in keeping possession in the second half against Slovenia and against Algeria which allowed Michael Bradley to go forward.

Bennie Feilhaber: Looked average against Slovenia but was a revelation against Algeria and Ghana. His ability to affect the match with possession and skill off the bench was the reason he was not in the starting lineup against Ghana.

Players that Missed Their Chance

Ricardo Clark: As much as it pains me to type this, Clark was not very good. The former Dynamo was instrumental in giving up two goals (England’s lone goal and Ghana’s first goal) in the finals. Clark was solid for the rest of the England match but clearly was not ready for the Ghana match.

Jose Torres: I really thought if given the chance Torres’ skill and talent on the ball would show through like it did against Turkey. Against Slovenia he was just not ready. At 24 he has a future with the USMNT but he was not good in his 45 minutes which led to his benching.

Robbie Findley: I wanted to put Findley in the “what I expected” category because his performance was what I thought it would be in the finals. He showed that while he is young and fast, his touch and feel for the game was not ready for the international level.

Oguchi Onyewu: Gooch was clearly not over his injury. He looked decent against England but was not very good at all against Slovenia and that held him out of the final two matches. He is set to return to AC Milan where a new coach and some uncertainty will be waiting.

Transfer Possibilities

We know about Donovan’s interest but other guys on the roster may be on the move.

Altidore – Villareal is believed to be ready to have a fire sale and Altidore could be included. He could be sold or loaned out. They would love to get the $10 million they spent to buy him back. But do not rule out a stay at Villareal if they move Guiseppi Rossi and/or Nilmar.

DeMarcus Beasley – Beasley left Rangers in Scotland before the world cup and is on the open market. If he can land a job in Europe he will stay but he could be in the MLS with his old club Chicago Fire by the end of the summer.

Bradley – Borussia Moenchengladbach hold his rights through 2011 but it should not take a massive transfer fee to get him. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has sung his praises on French TV leading some to believe he is a target for Arsenal. Everton, Aston Villa, and even Manchester United have all admitted to scouting Bradley. A move could be in the works.

Edson Buddle – For a team that got zero goals from their forwards Buddle was not afraid to test the keeper. His goal scoring form in the MLS got him a place on the squad which makes me wonder why he sat behind Robbie Findley. Numerous sites have linked Buddle with a move to Fulham in recent days (www.totalsoccerblog.com) who are set to make a 500,000 euro bid for the striker.

Steve Cherundolo – Cherundolo really had a good tournament. He did not give up much down the wing and really handled the speed of the English and Ghanian wingers. Appearantly Hannover 96 liked what they saw and resigned the right back who was out of contract heading into the finals.

Jay Demerit: Being out of contract Demerit had a great deal to gain in the world cup. Demerit delivered a good overall performance with some sketchy moments regarding positioning. He was very good in the air and at times played at an extremely high level. Not sure where he ends up but the fact that he is on a free transfer may be enough for a European team to bring him in, if not he could move to the MLS.

Feilhaber – After a rough season with AGF Aarhus www.MLSsoccer.com is reporting that Feilhaber, who is under contract with AGF Aarhus in Denmark, has been linked with a transfer to Isreali Club Tel Aviv.

Findley – Look for him to be rumored to move from Real Salt Lake and go on trials but I do not see a realistic Euro move based on this performance.

Brad Guzan – Guzan has been a steady back up at Aston Villa to former national team keeper Brad Freidel. He could be loaned out if Freidel returns to get more time.

Netherlands and Brazil Take Care of Business

Chile gave Brazil a match for a little more than 30 minutes, and then Juan opened the floodgates. His goal in the 34th minute was the first of three goals for Brazil that put them through to the round of 8. Brazil looked sluggish at times and played a very business like 90 minutes. Chile’s Humberto Suazo looked dangerous at times but once Brazil got a hold on the match it was all but over. Brazil is continuing to play a sound brand of soccer but analyst like Tommy Smythe keep saying the Brazilian fans do not like them because they are not flashy. Personally, I will take this level and type of soccer for the USMNT and be VERY happy.

The Netherlands held off what was a stronger than expected challenge from Slovakia. Many, me included, thought the Netherlands would simply roll through Slovakia on their way to a showdown with Brazil. Even with the first half goal from Arjen Robben the game was not in hand until Wesley Sneijder put his goal away in the 84th minute. Even in the dying moments Slovakian forward Robert Vittek converted a penalty for his team’s only goal to cut it to 2-1. Most surprising to me were the twelve shots Slovakian put up in and the even distribution of possession in the match. The Netherlands will have to clean that up if it wants to get past Brazil.

The final round of 16 matches take place today with Paraguay v. Japan early and a huge showdown between Portugal and Spain in the afternoon.

Updated Round of 8 Matches

Brazil v. Netherlands, Friday 8:30am CT

Uruguay v. Ghana, Friday 1:30pm CT

Argentina v. Germany, Saturday 8:30am CT

Paraguay/Japan v. Portugal/Spain, Satuday 1:30pm CT

Dynamo Start U.S. Open Cup Tonight Versus Miami F.C.

It is well known that Dominic Kinnear and the Houston Dynamo have never placed much emphasis on cup tournaments. Since the disbanding of the reserve league, Kinnear has used these matches as a way to get reserves playing time. Tonight’s match against Miami F.C. will be no different.

Look for players such as Sammy Appiah, Fransisco Navas-Cobo, Richard Mulrooney, Craig Waibel, Luis Landin, and Tally Hall to take the field tonight. A lineup of Dynamo reserves should be able to get the job done. While the Dynamo as an organization may not prioritize these tournaments I am sure the reserves do. The further they go they more playing time they get, so there is an incentive to win.

Miami F.C. will be no pushover. They have former MLS players Abe Thompson, Christian Gomez, and Mike Randolph. Former U.S. under-20 and Hertha Berlin midfielder Bryan Arguez and current U.S. youth players Bryan Dominquez and Stefan Jerome are also with the club.

I will be listening on the radio tonight unless someone knows of an internet link and passes it along. If you are going out to the Rob tonight be sure to give us your thoughts after the match.

2 Responses

Overall I was disappointed with the performance of Altidore. Against England, I forgot he was even on the field. He did better finding space and recieving the ball against Slovenia and Algeria, but his touch around the goal was terrible. Especially for a striker who is tasked with putting the ball in the net. I can’t remember how many open nets he missed, but you just can not have that at a World Cup. I have not had much chance to see Buddle play, but when they brought him in against Algeria, I really liked his performance. He just seemed to have a nack for being in the right spot at the right time. I was very disappointed that he did not get the start against Ghana. We went the entire four games with no goals by our strikers, and I believe Buddle would have changed that with more playing time. Lastly, don’t cover for Bradley on the Feilhaber idea against Ghana. The reason he did not start against Ghana is because Bradley made a mistake, not that he is so great off the bench.

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Not covering for Bradley at all. I do not think Feilhaber was ever a candidate to start. If you took Findley out of the lineup it would have been Gomez and if Clark did not start it would have been Edu. Only way Feilhaber would have started was if Dempsey was moved to forward from the beginning. I think Bennie just did well coming off the bench and Bradley wanted to hold that bullet. We agree on Buddle but the question is why bring a guy in because he scores goals and not use him when you need goals? I think the 20 year old Altidore made big strides. But I think you hit it on the head, his next step is to work on his finishing. When he learns to finish he will be a terror. -Darrell-